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Friday, February 25, 2011

Cheesy Bacon-Potato Soup

  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 small white onion, chopped
  • 2 T. flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1-1/2 tsp. minced garlic (2-3 cloves)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup cream cheese, cut into cubes
  • 1 T. chicken bouillon granules
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 4 slices crisp-cooked bacon, crumbled
In a large pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. Turn heat to medium and add flour. Stir constantly, and allow flour to cook about 30 seconds before adding water, carrot, celery, garlic, and salt and pepper. Heat through, then add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Dissolve bouillon in 1/2 cup hot water, then add to mixture.

Add potatoes and stir to combine. Place bay leaf in pot, turn heat down to a simmer and cover. Cook 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

You can blend some of the soup in the blender if you like (but not all, you want it a little chunky) or use a potato masher to break down some of the chunks. If it is too thick, add some milk, broth, or water. Add cheese and bacon and stir until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Creamy Slow Cooker Potato Cheese Soup
To make this in a slow cooker, follow the recipe until you add the potatoes. Place the potatoes in the slow cooker, pour the vegetable mixture over the top, and add the bay leaf. Cook 5 hours on high, 8 hours on low. The rest stays the same.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Kind of Carbonara

  • 1/2 pkg. noodles (I used garden rotini)
  • 4-6 strips bacon, chopped (or pancetta)
  • couple handfuls frozen peas
  • 2 eggs
  • couple handfuls Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water, and return to pot.

Meanwhile, fry bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, and remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Toss the peas into the skillet for a few minutes until hot (you can drain the bacon grease off first for health purposes; it won't affect the flavor much) and remove to the paper towel with the bacon to drain. Beat eggs with Parmesan cheese, and stir in most of the bacon and peas. You can add a bit of cream to make it a little richer, but I usually just add a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin. Add by the tablespoon, stirring constantly. Pour egg mixture over the hot noodles and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the rest of the bacon and peas and a little Parmesan. Serve immediately.

 served with garlic bread and Caesar salad.

Sweet & Spicy Chili

  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1-3 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained (I used one, feel free to use more if you like)
  • 3 cans tomatoes & their juice (I used a can each of diced, crushed, and whole that I chopped myself)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (remove seeds for less heat... I added the seeds in halfway through because I was skeert it would be too spicy!)
  • brown sugar
  • 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped or diced
  • chopped red onion (optional, I threw it in because I had some left over)
  • seasonings to taste: kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, cumin, chili powder. I also added some apple cider vinegar and a teensy bit of liquid smoke.
Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain. Turn heat to high and throw the onion in for a minute or two, until they get some color. Place beef and onions in a slow-cooker (or big pot or Dutch oven) along with tomatoes and their juice, jalapeno, and brown sugar, red onion if using, and apples if chopped. Season to taste and simmer at least an hour for flavors to blend. If apples are diced, add them during last twenty minutes of cooking time.

    Wednesday, February 16, 2011

    Roasted Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

    Made this for our Valentine's Day dinner <3 It's for 2, (of course!) with leftovers, but also easy to increase. Just make sure the hens don't touch when roasting, and don't crowd the pan when searing! Do that part in batches if you're preparing more than two.

    • 2 Cornish game hens, rinsed and patted dry
    • Sweet & Savory Stuffing, or whichever stuffing you prefer
    • 1 tsp. kosher salt
    • 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
    • 1 tsp. rubbed sage
    • 1 T. olive oil
    • 2 bacon slices, halved
    Preheat: 400°F. Sprinkle the cavity of each hen with a little salt and pepper. Stuff the hens and close the cavity with toothpicks, turkey lacers, or you can do what I did and skewer it closed with a bunch of little pieces of spaghetti ;) I like this option because it's not necessary to remove afterward because the cooking softens the spaghetti.

    Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Mix salt, pepper, and rubbed sage together in a small bowl and sprinkle over hens. Place into skillet (2 at a time) and sauté about 10 minutes, turning often with a wooden spoon, being careful not to tear the skin. When nicely browned, place hens onto a rimmed baking sheet, breast side up. Place two bacon strip halves on each breast. Roast about 45 minutes, or until cooked through and juices run clear when thigh is pierced.

    Served with asparagus, spicy corn, and fruity pecan & feta salad.

    Adapted from Epicurious

    Sweet & Savory Stuffing

    • 3 T. butter
    • 1 cup chopped onion (chop the ingredients somewhat small if you are stuffing roasted Cornish game hens)
    • 1/2 cup chopped celery
    • 1-1/2 cups Golden Delicious/Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
    • 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
    • 1 tsp. rubbed sage
    • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
    • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
    • 4 cups bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
    • 1 large egg, beaten
    • 4 T. (approx.) apple cider or apple juice
      Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery and onion and sauté about 5 minutes, then add apples and cranberries. Sauté a few more minutes until they soften. Stir in sage, salt and pepper, and transfer to a large bowl to cool, about ten minutes.

    Mix in bread crumbs, then toss all with egg to coat. Add a few tablespoons of cider, a little at a time, tossing with mixture until it is moist but not wet. Stuff into Cornish Game Hens, or place into a buttered dish, cover with foil, and bake at 400°F for 30-45 minutes.

    Adapted from Epicurious

      Fruity Pecan & Feta Salad, 2 Ways

      This was basically me trying to satisfy a craving for Panera's Fuji apple chicken salad and trying to make do with what I had on hand. It worked.
      • any kind of greens you like
      • red onion, sliced
      • pecans, chopped
      • feta cheese, crumbled
      • apple, chopped (and peeled, if you like)
      • dried cranberries
       Creamy Apple Dressing:
      • plain yogurt
      • apple juice concentrate
      • apple cider
      • apple cider vinegar
      • honey
       Toss salad ingredients together and mix dressing to taste. I used about 1/2 cup yogurt to about a tablespoon of everything else. Drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately.

      I keep a few cans of juice concentrate in the freezer specifically for recipes, and had bought some cider to use in my stuffing, so I used both. Merely suggestions though... feel free to experiment.


      picture available in Roasted Stuffed Cornish Game Hens post.

      Second-day variation: Made this again, but added fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt to the dressing. Added shredded leftover chicken to the salad and crumbled some bacon over the top. Served with a grilled cheese made with sharp cheddar, bacon, and apple slices. Awesome.

      Monday, February 7, 2011

      Slow-Cooker Pork & Chicken With Peanut Sauce

      Been taking it a little too easily lately, but finally made something tonight worth sharing! I am forever indebted to the friend who referred me to Crockpot365. Stephanie spent an entire year using her slow-cooker every day, and there are countless amazing recipes on her blog. Not only did I have no clue regarding the extent of what you can make in a Crock-Pot, but I also learned they cost about 2 cents an hour to run. That alone is fantastic, not to mention the extra time, flavor, and ease. There are a lot of recipes I want to try from Crockpot365, but so far I've just made one (and it's awesome! I definitely recommend checking out her blog). I changed it a bit, as I tend to do...


      • Cubed chicken (I cubed a boneless skinless chicken breast and a boneless pork chop, but you can use either. Chicken thighs are actually better for the Crock-pot, but I didn't have any problems with the chicken drying out)
      • Chopped onion (I used about half of one)
      • 1/2 T. ground cumin (use more if you like)
      • 1/2 cup peanut butter
      • 2-3 T. lime juice
      • 1/2 cup chicken broth
      • 1/4 cup soy sauce
      • couple shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)
      Put everything in the Crock-Pot and stir together as best you can. Don't worry about clumps. I cooked this on high about 4 hours, or you can cook it on low 6-8 hours. I was inspired at the last minute to throw in some frozen broccoli florets and was glad I did, as I didn't have the bell pepper the original recipe called for. I served this over rice noodles, but you could also serve it over rice.

      not the best picture, but omg I was hungry.

      Original Recipe